The case file in the rape of a 12-year-old Englewood, Colo., girl was starting to yellow. A sketch of the suspect hadn’t produced anything concrete, and the case grew colder with each passing year. Then, in 1999, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation linked a DNA “fingerprint” from the evidence file to a man recently imprisoned for another sexual assault.
Chalk up one more victory for the DNA detectives...

In slightly over a decade, DNA evidence has become the foremost forensic technique for identifying perpetrators and eliminating suspects when biological materials such as blood, saliva, hair or semen are left at a crime scene. Law enforcement professionals have come to understand the potential of using systematic DNA testing by constructing data bases on state and federal levels. As these DNA data banks grow in size, society will benefit even more from the technology’s incredible power to link seemingly unrelated crimes and identify suspects who were previously unknown to investigators.
In Florida, offenders are now required to submit blood samples for DNA typing if they have a conviction for any offenses or attempted offenses: sexual assault; murder; aggravated battery; lewd or indecent acts, carjacking, or home-invasion robbery. These six qualifying convictions were chosen based on their violent nature, the probability of biological material from the offender being left at the crime scene, the probability of the same offender committing more than one offense, and other associations with criminal sex acts. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s DNA data base has experienced a great deal of success thus far; approximately 34 percent of the entire nation’s DNA data base hits have been in Florida. Based on our success, we believe it is time to move forward with expansion of Florida’s DNA data base...